Latecomers: The Sources and Impacts of Late Arrival Among Adolescent Immigrant Students

Abstract

In this ethnographic study, the author describes and analyzes the experiences of latecomers, adolescent immigrant students who arrive late in the school year. She shines a light on the multifaceted challenges posed by these students’ transnationalism, undocumented status, and labor migration, which contribute to their late arrival and threaten their school persistence. This article adds to the developing body of research on heterogeneity among adolescent emergent bilinguals, a growing and underserved population.